Changes to ETH Zurich's organisation effective 1 January 2016
During its most recent session in 2015, the Executive Board adopted changes to the university's organisational structure, or rather, made changes to the Organisation Ordinance. These important changes specifically affect the central bodies: the infrastructure divisions will now be called “administrative departments”, and there will be more of them. The amendment to the Organisation Ordinance will come into force on 1 January 2016.
The description “infrastructure division” for the line units has proven effective only to a limited extent since it was introduced because it did not represent, or only partially represented, the activities of these divisions – Corporate Communications being one example. All central administrative bodies with definitive process responsibility and significant financial duties are now to be transformed into administrative departments.
This situation and the new responsibilities have made it necessary to afford department status to several staff units. The former staff unit of Student Orientation and Coaching becomes Student Services. The former staff units Educational Development and Technology, and Safety, Security, Health and Environment will also become departments. The Office for Events and Services and the former Services Division will be combined to form a new administrative department called Services.
In the Finance and Controlling division, the two former sub-units will be split into three independent departments: Controlling, Accounting, and Financial Services.
Other changes to the Organisation Ordinance are as follows:
- The President will have new duties that include oversight of equal opportunities and sustainability issues.
- The Rectorate will now be called Academic Services. As a result, the term “Rectorate” can be used to refer to the Rector’s entire area of responsibility.
- The ETH Animal Welfare Officer will now be formally assigned to the ETH Phenomics Center, and reports directly to the Vice President of Research and Corporate Relations.
- The potential legal nature of extra-departmental bodies at ETH Zurich will now be described explicitly. In addition, the listing will be updated to include the following newly established facilities: the Singapore ETH Centre, University Medicine Zurich (Hochschulmedizin Zürich) and the Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy.